A Couple of Star Crossed Lovers
by EdwardRoxMySox
Summary: Bella Swan is an aspiring actress. When she gets the part of Juliet in the school play, she meets the dazzling Romeo, Edward Cullen. Will love blossom between these two star-crossed lovers? AU, all human! MAJOR FLUFF!
1. Chapter 1: The Auditions

**This story is going to have MAJOR FLUFF... so if you like that kind of stuff, this is the perfect fanfic 4 u! I had this idea the other day and I was so proud of it! But, anyways, I hope you like it!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight OR Romeo and Juliet... They belong respectively to the equally brilliant Stephenie Meyer and William Shakespeare.**

**Chapter 1: **

**The Auditions**

I ran down the slippery sidewalk toward Forks High School. Normally, the words "I," "run," and "slippery sidewalk" would never be used in the same sentence. It would usually end up with the me falling flat on my face. But I was desperate.

Ever since I was a baby, I have wanted to act. That was my dream. So when I found out that my new school was performing Romeo and Juliet, I was ecstatic. This was my big chance to show everybody what I was made of. I was going to go for the role of Juliet... a long-shot, but I knew that I had what it takes.

Unfortunately, I was late for the auditions. Very late. I had thought that they were being held tomorrow, but I found out that I was wrong. And the auditions had been going on for about two hours now.

It had stopped raining for once and I thanked God that I wouldn't be drenched for the audition as I ran through the front doors of the school. I skidded to a halt in front of the auditorium doors and attempted to steady my breathing.

After a few seconds, I opened the double doors. As soon as I walked in, I was hit with a wave of relief, because I knew that I had made it just in time.

"Do I have anymore Juliets?" Mrs. Arther called out as people began to get up from their seats. "Anyone?"

"Me, Mrs. Arther," I called from the other side of the auditorium, running down the isle to meet her. "I would like to audition."

"Oh, yes, of course," she said, scribbling something down on her clipboard. "You're just in time, dear, we were about to wrap it up."

"Thank-you, I'm sorry I'm late," I apologized.

"Don't worry about it." She wrote something else on her clipboard. "What is your name?"

"Isabella Swan."

"Alright, I would like you to get up on stage, and I would like to test your knowledge on the play."

"Ok," I answered, stepping up onto the stage. I took a deep steadying breath. The nerves were kicking in now. I tried to ignore the butterflies in my stomach.

"Now," Mrs. Arther said, putting on her glasses, "Recite the second half of the sonnett that Juliet says in Act I scene V." She looked up expectantly.

Being my overprepared self, I had alredy memorized all of Juliet's lines, and I knew exactly what part she was talking about. They are the first words that Juliet speaks to Romeo.

I closed my eyes to go over it in my head again, and began to recite the lines. "Good pilgrim, you do wrong your hands too much, which mannerly devotion shows in this, for saints have hands that pilgrims' hands do touch, and palm to palm is holy palmers' kiss."

A few of the kids that had gotten up to leave sat back down to watch my audition. They all had interested looks on their faces.

"Impressive," Mrs. Arther said, nodding her head in approval. "You are the only one who got that part right. Have you memorized the play?"

"Juliet's lines more than the others," I answered honestly.

"Very good. Could you now recite to me your favorite quote from the play? It doesn't have to be one of Juliet's lines."

I thought for a moment. How could I pick a favorite line from one of Shakespeare's greatest works? "My favorite would probably be from the Prologue," I finally said.

"Go ahead, dear," she said sweetly.

I cleared my throat. "From forth the fatal loins of these two foes a pair of star-crossed lovers take their life, whose misadventures piteous overthrows doth with their death bury their parent's strife."

She smiled. "And why did you choose that as your favorite?"

"I guess because it summarizes the entire story."

She looked thoughtful. "We're through here, darling," she said as she stood with her trusty clipboard in hand.

"That's it?" I replied enthusiastically. I never thought that it would be that fast.

"I've seen all that I needed to see."

I wondered if she meant that in a good way or a bad way. I hoped for the first.

"Mrs. Arther, wait," I called as she turned to walk away. I jumped off the stage to stand in front of her. "How many tried out for Juliet?" I wanted to know how much competition I had.

"A good bit," she said smiling. "Don't tell anyone that I told you this, but you were the best by far. I think it's safe to say that you will be our new Juliet."

I couldn't stop the smile that spread across my face. "Thank-you so much!" I said, hugging her.

"You're welcome, dear," she said tenderly. "Have a nice day."

"Oh, wait, one more thing," I said. I hesitated. "Who tried out for Romeo?"

She probably noticed the nervous edge in my voice. "Oh, yes, I imagine you would be curious about that. Only two people tried out for him, actually. Michael Newton and umm..." she paused to lok at the paper on her clipboard, "... Edward Cullen."

"Oh."

"You have nothing to worry about, darling, they are both very good looking," she said with a wink. She turned and headed for the double doors. "The official results will be posted tomorrow," she called over her shoulder. I was now the only one left in the huge auditorium.

I knew Mike Newton. Oh boy, did I know Mike Newton. He was only the snobbiest, stuck-up, pig-headed student in the entire school. Of course he would try out for the lead role. He craved constant attention.

I had never heard of Edward Cullen. I hoped that he was good looking, like Mrs. Arther said, but you could never trust a fifty year old woman's definition of good looking. Even if he wasn't exactly handsome, though, I would definately prefer kissing him on-stage over _Mike Newton._

I sighed and got back up on the stage, looking around the gigantic room. So this was where I would be preforming. I wondered if, by some small chance, I would get recognized through this play. I dreamed of being a famous actress more than anything. I was still in the day dreaming phase of my life, but one way or another, I was going to make that dream a reality. And the first step was this play.

I sat on the edge of the stage, watching my feet swing back and forth as I day dreamed. I was so preoccupied, that I didn't even notice when someone approached.

"Hello," said a smoothe, velvety voice.

I jumped, and my hand flew to my heart in surprise. "Oh! You scared..." I trailed off. Because I was now looking at the most handsome boy I had ever seen.

He had the most gorgeous green eyes, and the strangest shade of red hair. He was tall and I could see defined muscles through his button up shirt. His features were angular and perfect, his nose, his jaw line, and his lips...

He would put any male model to shame... and he would practically bury Mike Newton.

"I'm sorry that I startled you," he said politely. His voice flowed like honey, and he had perfect articulation.

It was then that I realized that I was staring at him like a freaking idiot, with my mouth hanging open and my eyes wide. I clamped my mouth shut and looked down. "It's ok," I answered quietly.

"I saw your audition," he said, obviously trying to start a conversation. Why he was trying to start one with someone like me, I'll never know.

"Oh really?" I said, still flustered.

He laughed. It was such a musical sound. Maybe I should become a comedian just to hear him laugh more often. "Yes, I did. You were very good."

I blushed, something that I did alot. "Thank-you," I replied, still looking down.

He took a few long strides toward me and held out his hand. "I'm Edward Cullen."

My heart stopped, and then picked up speed double time. So this was the infamous Edward Cullen. The other boy who tried out for Romeo. The one who, potentially, I would kiss on stage. I took his hand in mine and smiled at how they fit perfectly together, like two puzzle pieces.

"And you must be Isabella?" he pressed. He probably thought that I was retarded at this point.

"Bella," I nodded.

He finally let go and leaned against the stage next to where was sitting. "So you tried out for Juliet?" he inquired innocently.

"Yes," and I was currently thanking God that I had made it on time to the audition. "And you tried out for Romeo?" I asked, feigning noninterest. I failed miserably.

"Yes. " He paused to look up at me. "And I certainly hope that I get the part," he said sincerely, with a dazzling crooked smile that made my heart melt. His words were innocent enough. Anyone could have said them. But I couldn't help but wonder if he meant something more.

"I hope I get the part, too," I said casually.

"I know that you got the part. I saw your audition. And weren't you listening to Mrs. Arther?" he said smiling.

"What?"

"She told you that you were going to get the part."

"How did you hear?" I asked curiously.

"The auditorium was built for sound to carry, Bella."

My heart flew as he said my name.

"I've never seen you here before," he said suddenly. "When did you move here?"

"A couple of months ago," I answered. "You've probably seen me before."

"I would have remembered you," he said with certainty. I smiled at his words.

"So how long have you gone here?"

"I moved to Forks two years ago from Alaska."

"You lived in Alaska?" I breathed, intrigued.

"Yes, with some old family friends. And where did you move from?"

"Pheonix, Arizona," I said. I marveled at how our old homes were complete opposites. Sunny Arizona and icy Alaska.

"Do you get homesick?" He sounded like he was genuinely curious.

"Sometimes," I answered honestly. "But I'll get used to it."

"Why did you move?"

I proceeded in telling him all about how my mother, Renee, remarried to a man named Phil and I moved to Forks to stay with my father, Charlie, who is the police chief in Forks. My mother missed Phil because he traveled around so much. He played baseball for a living. She couldn't travel with him because she had me to look after. So I decided to take myself off of her hands.

I was surprised at how easily I could talk to him, besides being momentariy dazed whenever he smiled. I had never told anyone the real reason behind my dicision to move to Forks.

We must have talked for an hour as he told me about his family and how he was adopted, along with his two brothers, Emmett and Jasper. He told me about his parents, Esme and Carlisle, and how they lived in Denali, Alaska for a large portion of their lives with some old family friends.

Finally, he looked at the watch on his wrist and sighed.

"You have to get home?" I asked solemnly.

He nodded, with an equally glum expression on his face. I looked down. "So I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Yes." He took my hand and brought it to his lips, his eyes never leaving mine. My heart soared. "I'll be looking forward to tomorrow," he said quietly.

I blushed. Again. "Bye." I watched him as he walked away.

_Bye_. He said _I'll be looking forward to tomorrow_ and the brilliant response I come up with is _bye_. Wow. But even though I didn't say it, I was thinking it... I would definately be looking forward to tomorrow.

**YAY the first chapter! Let me know if you liked it!**

**And also, I will be open to ideas that you guys have for extra fluffiness. Let me know!**

**Mandy**


	2. Chapter 2: Lunch Invitations

**Chapter 2 is up! YAY! I'm not gona babble at all this time, I'll just let u read! YAY! Oh, and MORE FLUFF!**

**Disclaimer: I said it in the first chapter... not gona say it again... reality is too depressing...**

**Chapter 2:**

**Lunch Invitation**

As I drove to school the next day, I kept my eyes open. I remember that he said that he lived near me, and I wondered if I would see him on the way to school. I would like to.

I couldn't get Edward Cullen off of my mind. I wondered what it was about him that had me so tranfixed... Maybe his messy auburn hair, or his great body, his politeness, or his marvelous green eyes... Or maybe it was all of this put together... he was perfect. And if he got the part of Romeo, that garanteed that I would eventually kiss those perfect lips...

A car screeched as it crossed in front of me, and I realized that I was at a stop sign at an intersection. I slammed on the breaks, and swerved to the left, narrowly avoiding the bumper of a shiny silver Volvo.

My head snapped back from the abrupt stop, but no harm was done. My heart was beating at a hundred miles an hour, though. And it got even faster when I saw who it was that was currently getting out of the car that I almost ran into.

I gasped, because I now saw the green eyes and red hair of the boy who had been occupying my thoughts ever since I talked to him the day before. Edward strode fluidly over to my red chevy pick-up, obviously amused. I opened the door and stepped out hastily to meet him, but my foot caught on the edge and I fell forward.

Just as I was about to hit the hard pavement of the road, I felt two muscular arms wrapped around me. Edward stood me up with his hands on my waist (I currently wasn't breathing), made sure I was steady on my feet, and leaned against my truck with an amused expression on his face.

"So," he started, flashing a smile with his perfect, white teeth. "What exactly do you have against my car?"

I blushed furiously, and looked down. "I- I'm sorry, I... wasn't exactly paying a- attention," I stuttered.

He glanced over his shoulder at his car, and looked back at me with a dazzling smile on his face. "Well, no harm done."

I nodded awkwardly. Then I heard chuckling and the slamming of a car door. Two other boys were getting out of Edward's car. The first, who got out of the passenger's seat, was very tall with blonde hair and calm eyes. The other was very burly, muscular, and even taller than the blonde one, with dark curly hair. They were both very good looking, but not nearly as handsome as Edward in my opinion.

"Bella, this is Emmett and Jasper," he said, pointing to the big one and blonde one respectively.

The one called Emmett said enthusiastically, "Oh, so this is Bella!" He held out his hand for me to shake. I took it hesitantly. "We've heard sooo much about you!" Jasper reached out and smacked Emmett in the back of the head. "OW!"

"Nice to meet you," Jasper said, ignoring his brother, and shaking my hand as well.

"That really hurt," Emmett complained. Edward then hit him in the back of the head as well, winking at me. "Ouch!" I couldn't contain my laughter. I was beginning to like Emmett. He looked at Edward accusingly, who innocently held his hands up.

Edward then looked back at me. "Listen, Bella," and I blushed once agin as he said my name. "We were wondering... Would you like to sit with us at lunch today?" Then he added nervously, "That is if you don't already have someone to sit with."

"I would love to!" I said, immediately regretting my enthusiastic response. So much for playing it cool.

"Great," he said happily. "We should probably all get to school or we'll be late."

"Oh, yeah." I hurriedly, and very un-gracefully, got into my car. "I'll see you at lunch."

"Can't wait," Edward responded with a smile and all three brothers turned around to get back into the car.

I shut the door, but before it closed I heard a teasing, "Ooooo..." coming from Emmett. I looked up to see both Jasper and Edward smacking him in the back of the head simultaneously. I laughed out loud. I wondered if I would like having siblings. They all seemed to be best friends as well as brothers.

I thought about Edward the rest of the way to school, but tried to pay a little bit more attention to the road this time.

* * *

My classes were extra slow today as I waited desperately for lunch to come. I rapped my fingers on the desk impatiently, earning a few angry "Sh's" from my classmates.

I became extra anxious as I watched the minute hand on the clock creep closer and closer to the big 12 at the top. Finally the bell rang, and I was out of the class room and on my way to the cafeteria. I stumbled a couple of times, but otherwise managed to stay on my feet.

As I walked through the double doors, I was met by none other than... Mike Newton.

"Bella!" he called coming up to me, flashing what he thought was a dazzling smile. I smiled back half-heartedly. "Hi, Mike."

"So I heard you tried out for Juliet," he said casually.

"Yep," I replied simply, popping the P.

"I'm Romeo, you know," he said. Was he trying to be charming?!

"The results haven't been posted yet," I countered, looking over his shoulder to see Edward and his brothers sitting at a table in the corner, waving at me. I waved back over Mike's shoulder.

"Well, I already know I got the part," he said, obviously annoyed that I wasn't paying full attention to him. "I saw the other guy who tried out and honestly, he wasn't very good."

"So what does that make you," I muttered under my breath, but he didn't hear me.

"So, Bella, I was wondering if you wanted to sit at my table," he said, more of a statement than a question, as if he expected me to say yes. God, I hated this creep.

"Sorry, previous engagement," I said with mock politeness. He looked surprised.

"Oh, so what lucky guy are you sitting with today?" he asked, with another failed attempt at being charming.

"Romeo." And with that, I turned on the spot, making sure to flip my hair, and strode over to Edward's table in the corner. I could just imagine Mike's astounded face.

When I got to the table, I noticed that there was a tray of food sitting in the empty spot next to Jasper and across from Edward. "Aw, you guys didn't have to--"

"Don't worry about it," Edward interupted, gesturing for me to sit down.

"Thank-you," I sighed, sitting down.

"So what was Newton doing talking to you," Emmett asked.

Picked up my roll and started picking it into individual pieces. "Being a stuck up, snobby, stubborn idiot."

They looked surprised at my hateful words. "What?" I aked innocently.

"Nothing," they said together. I laughed.

"What was he talking about?" Jasper asked.

I looked at them suspiciously. "Why are you so interested?"

Jasper and Emmett smiled, and Edward looked down. I sighed. "He was bragging about being Romeo because he was under some delusion that he would actually make the part."

"Dude, I don't see why you want to do this play," Emmett laughed. "Aside from obvious reasons," he muttered under his breath, and I was pretty sure that I wan't meant to hear that part.

"Yeah, I agree, its wierd," Jasper piped up.

"It's gay," Emmett added.

I cut in. "I think its romantic." I blushed, realizing what I just said, and looked down at my food. I snuck a glance at Edward, who's smile was lighting up his face.

We were silent for a few minutes, until Jasper finally broke the silence. "So why do you hate Newton so much?" he inquired. "It seems as though you really have something against him."

"Oh, he hit me with his car the day after I moved here," I said.

They all looked shocked. I couldn't help it and I burst out laughing. "You guys aren't used to sarcasm, are you?" I watched as they all realized it was a joke and started laughing with me.

When I stopped giggling, I continued. "He didn't do anything _to_ me. He's so conceited. On my first day at this school, he came up to me and pretty much _told_ me to go out with him. I just hate the way he carries himself."

"You turned him down, though, right?" Edward asked quietly.

"No, I actually didn't. I thought it would be worth a try... But it wasn't. I ended up leaving the date early."

"Where did you guys go?" Emmett asked, amused by the story.

"His favorite bar," I laughed quietly.

"What's wrong?" Jasper asked suddenly. It was strange how he was so perceptive, like he was intuned with other peoples' emotions.

The truth was, I knew exactly how the story ended. I tried to leave the bar myself, but he offered me a ride home. I thought that it was actually pretty generous of him. The first thing he had done for me so far. But he didn't take me to my house. He took me to a motel. He was trying to get me in bed with him. Trying. I walked home. And it was a long walk.

"Nothing," I answered Jasper's question, looking down.

The bell rang, and I got up slowly. Emmett and Jasper were already on their way out. I looked up to see Edward still standing there, waiting for me to gather my books.

"I like them," I said sincerely. "They're nice."

He chuckled. "You don't have to live with them."

"You're lucky you have brothers."

He hesitated, looking nervous as we walked out of the cafeteria together. "Hey, meet me in the lobby after school. We can go look at the cast list together."

"Ok," I replied, eager.

"See you then," he said as we parted to go to our next class.

* * *

Me and Edward turned the corner to the auditorium doors where we saw a group of about 40 people grouped around a blue sheet of paper that was taped to the doors. Mike emerged from the crowd and strode past me with no acknowledgement whatsoever, with a scowl on his face. Edward and I shared a knowing look.

We pushed through the crowd to get close enough to read the small script. The first thing that I saw, sent my heart soaring.

_Juliet **Isabella Swan**_

_Romeo **Edward Cullen**_

We looked at each other sheepishly and returned to look at the rest of the cast. I looked for Mike Newton's name, and what I saw sent me into a fit of laughter.

_Friar Lawrence **Mike Newton**_

I knew a lot about this part. Including that whoever played this part had to wear a bald-cap and a fat-suit. I laughed even harder. Mike truly did deserve this part.

* * *

Edward walked me to my truck, like a real gentleman, and actually held the door for me. I got in and rolled down the window when he closed it. "So I'll see you tomorrow, Juliet?" he asked with a playful crooked smile.

"I hope so, Romeo," I teased back.

He crossed his arms against the door and, unless I just imagined it, leaned in the slightest bit and stopped. He sighed. "Good-bye."

"Bye." He turned and walked away, toward his own car. I rolled the window up, with what I'm sure was a sad expression, and drove away. I felt strangely glum the rest of the evening.

**I hope you liked it! But there is no way for me to know unless you review! And I need some fluffy ideas. I have a few, but I don't want to end the story early because I run out. Let me know what you think!**

**Mandy**


	3. Chapter 3: Texting

**K I have sumthing really interesting to share with u guys... I had the BEST DREAM IN THE WORLD LAST NIGHT!!**

**Let me elaborate...**

**Basically, I was Bella. Which means... EDWARD CULLEN WAS MY BOYFRIEND!! And this wasn't the Rob Pattinson Edward Cullen, this was MY Edward Cullen, so he was freakin hot! (Not that I think Rob isn't hot, he just isn't as hot as my version!) Ok, so it was basically the best dream of my entire life... unfortunately, I woke up before I got to kiss him... I got to hug him though! And he had the most gorgeous eyes. sigh...**

**But the creepy thing was, the same exact night, my best Twilight buddy had a dream that she spent the day with a werewolf instead... idk, it gives me kind of a premonition vibe... maybe I'm turning into Alice!!**

**Don't worry, you'll get used to my hopeless obsession...**

**DISCLAIMER: Just by the fact that this is a DISCLAIMER, I think you could put the puzzle pieces together yourself...**

**(For the scene at the beginning, Bella will be bold font and Edward will be in italics) I'll let you read now...**

**Chapter 3:**

**Texting**

I was laying on my bed, staring at the ceiling, trying to get Edward Cullen out of my restless mind. I couldn't think about anything other than him. Was this how crushes were supposed to be. Surely people didn't get this... obsessive over another person... well then again, not all crushes happened to be a gentleman... and gorgeous... and all around flawless.

I couldn't stop thinking about this afternoon. When he leaned in slightly, as if he wanted to... I couldn't let myself think like that. I couldn't get my hopes up. Odds are, he wasn't interested in me. In fact, it was near impossible. How could he? I was extremely ordinary, my hair and eyes were a dull brown color. I was pale. I really didn't know what would make me appealing at all.

Suddenly, my cell phone vibrated on my nightstand, making me jump. I looked at my alarm clock. It was 2:05! Who would be trying to talk to me at 2 o'clock in the freaking morning?! Any normal person would be asleep.

I picked up the phone and saw that I had a text. Nothing special. Until I saw who this text was from, which sent my heart shooting through the roof. Guess who.

Me and Edward had exchanged numbers on our way to the auditorium to see the cast list. But I never expected him to actually try to talk to me! Then again, Edward had been very unpredictable so far.

I hurriedly opened the phone and looked at the text eagerly.

_R u asleep?_

I sighed, trying to move my clumsy fingers across the buttons to reply as fast as I could.

**No u?**

_Nope. I cant get this girl off my mind._

I blushed. Could he be talking about me? Only one way to find out.

**May i ask who?**

_Idk. Depends on why youre still awake._

**Cant stop thinkin about this guy.**

_May I ask who?_

He was such a copy cat. Should I be brave, or should I just stick with being vague until he lets up? I decided to go with vague.

**U first.**

_My own personal Juliet. That's as far as I'm going._

**Fine then. u arent gettin anything out of me.**

_Thats fine. What r u doin 2moro evening? well, technically not 2moro, but u know what i mean_

Oh my gosh! Was he fixing to ask me out? I had to be cool, though, I couldn't let him know that I really really _really _wanted to. Whoa, I'm getting ahead of myself, I didn't even know if he was going to ask me out yet. Tomorrow was Friday. Yeah, I was free. Of course, even if I wasn't, I would cancel my previous plans for him anyday.

**Nothing really. y?**

_I was wondering if u wanted to come to my house 4 dinner. just as friends. what do u think?_

As friends... great. A girl can dream, though, right?

**Yea, id luv 2. what time?**

_Y dont I just take u there after school? and ill drive u 2 school 2moro morning so u dont have 2 worry about your truck. is that ok?_

Is that ok? Was he serious? Of course it was ok! Driven to and from school by Edward Cullen. It was _definately_ ok.

**That would b perfect. 7:15?**

_Ok. ill see u in the morning._

**Alright. bye**

I realized that I had been bent over my phone the entire time as I waited for him to reply. I sighed and fell backward. I was aiming for my pillow, and it probably would have worked better if I hadn't have hit the head board first. I was startled and then a throbbing pain started.

Great. I couldn't sleep, and now I had a throbbing pain in the back of my head. That was going to hurt in the morning. But I didn't care. I would be seeing Edward in the morning! And I would be eating dinner with him at his house after school tomorrow as well! Well, like he said, it wasn't really tomorrow anymore. I sighed. That just meant that I was that much closer to seeing him.

I was even more restless now. And when I finally did get to sleep, I tossed and turned and woke up constantly. I was very, very anxious.

* * *

I spent more time in front of the mirror as I usually did, making sure I looked decent, trying to hide the circles under my eyes. They were less noticable, but still there.

I waited in the kitchen, fidgeting, rapping my fingers on the table again. Charlie was getting pretty annoyed after a while. I would have to get over that.

Finally, at 7:15 exactly, I heard the rumble of an engine in the driveway. I sprinted from the kitchen to the front door in seconds, throwing my bag over my shoulder and opening the door simultaneously. As soon as he was in sight, I slowed my pace to a brisk walk.

He was already there, holding the passenger door open for me with a beautiful smile. I couldn't contain my own smile.

"What?" he asked curiously.

I opened my mouth to respond, about to tell the truth because of his dazzling eyes, but I stopped myself. How would that sound? _Oh, you're just such a gentleman, _or _you're so much more mature than all the other boys._ Definately not.

Instead I settled with, "Oh, nothing," and a nervous laugh to top it off. He looked suspicious.

"I thought you were supposed to be a good actress," he said teasingly. "Or maybe you're just a terrible lier in general."

And what did I come up with? Another pathetic laugh. He had a point. If I could act, why couldn't I lie? And on top of that, if I can barely converse with him sensibly in reality, how the hell was I supposed to talk to him as Romeo? Ugh, I was in trouble.

He shut my door and walked around to sit in the drivers seat. When he had turned on the car, he glared suspiciously at me again with those perfect green eyes and started driving to the school.

We got there early, very early as a matter of fact. We still had 30 minutes to kill until 8 o' clock. So we just decided to sit in his car and talk for a while.

I don't know what his definition of talking was, but this definately wasn't mine. We sat there in an awkward silence for about 5 minutes.

"So," he started, finally breaking the tension. "You look like you didn't get any sleep. Couldn't stop thinking about me last night?"

"What?!" I said a little too loud. "I mean, uh... ehem, what are you talking about? I-I wasn't thinking about you," I hoped beyond hope that he bought that.

"You're an awful lier, Bella," he smiled. He hadn't bought it.

I fell back against the seat in frustration. Bad idea. Apparently, the spot on the back of my head was still sensative. It began throbbing again. "Ow," I mumbled.

"What's wrong?" he asked, actually sounding concerned.

"Oh, I just hit my head last night..." the concerned expression stayed on his face. "It's not a big deal, just a miscalculation of distance."

"Let me see," he said and reached out to feel the spot on my head. My breathing increased at his close proximity. This was pathetic.

His fingers were gentle, but I winced a little when he found the spot that was tender.

"It's just a little swollen... You shouldn't have a concussion."

It was my turn to look at him suspiciously.

He shrugged innocently. "Carlilse is a doctor. I've picked up a few things," he said, like it wasn't a big deal.

"Is that what you want to do? When you're out of high school I mean?" I have to admit, I was impressed.

"It's a definate possiblility," he shrugged again. "What about you?"

"I've wanted to be a famous actress ever since I was a baby," I said, a little embarassed. I looked at my hands and started to play with my fingers nervously.

"Well, I'm sure you'll do fine," he teased.

Just then, the 10 minute warning bell rang. I sighed. Edward was out of the car and opening my door for me before I even reached for the handle.

When I stood, I realized just how close he was to me, looking at me curiously with his penetrating eyes. I was in a daze.

He lifted his hand and touched the dark circles under my eyes tenderly. "You look exhausted."

I looked down, ashamed. "I was very restless last night."

He lifted up my chin with his fingers. "There is nothing to be ashamed of. I was restless too." He smiled.

Taking my hand, he kissed it and walked with me through the front doors to my next class.

* * *

We had lunch together once again. We sat across from each other, just like last time, stealing inconspicuous glances at each other every once in a while. The rest of the time, it seemed like Edward was glaring at something or someone over my shoulder. I stole a glance too when he wasn't looking, and caught Mike on the other side of the lunchroom, looking at our table. God, I hated that creep. And apparently, Edward did too for some reason.

In between classes, he found me in the hallway and walked me to my next one. I didn't mind, it meant that I could spent that much more time with him.

But during classes was a different story. I was anxious and restless, and I couldn't seem to concentrate on my work or the teacher's lectures. I couldn't wait until the end of the day.

Finally, after what seemed like forever, I met him at his car after school. We were on our way to his house, and I wasn't sure what to expect. I was just happy that I was spending time with him.


	4. Chapter 4: Friendly Dinner

**Hey, everyone,m I'm sorry it took so long, its just I'm trying to get over major writers block... I'll let you know what I've been working on...**

**For those of you who have read my other story, Solar Flare, me and one of my friends decided to write a little section from within Solar Flare. It is going to be Jacob's relationship with Abbey from his POV. We wrote that together and I think it helped with my writers block. I'm going to post that section in Jacob's POV when I'm done with Solar Flare. Even though I don't particularly like Jacob, I think he deserves a little attention.**

**_READ THIS_: I give credit to _sovoyita_ 4 coming up with the "friendly dinner" idea. I just came up with the fluff in between. lol!**

**I really hope you guys like this chapter!**

**Chapter 4: **

**Friendly Dinner**

We were driving down a dirt road surrounded by trees. I peeked at Edward's beautiful face out of the corner of my eye, like I had been doing the entire ride. He had his gorgeous emerald colored eyes on the narrow road ahead of us.

Reluctantly, I averted my eyes, but couldn't look away for more than a few seconds. So, giving in, I looked up at him again.

This time, I caught him looking back at me. We both looked away sheepishly, but didn't stop stealing glances the whole ride to his house. There was a comfortable silence, not like the awkward one that very morning in the parking lot. We sat, enjoying each other's company. And I fought the desire to reach over and touch his flawless face. That would make me look like an idiot.

Finally, the dirt road we were on led into a beautiful clearing, and in the middle of the clearing, was a gigantic white mansion. My jaw dropped. Yeah, that's how big it was.

I knew that Carlisle was a doctor, but this mansion could be compared to that of a movie star. Three stories with who knows how many rooms. And it looked as though it were about a hundred years old.

I heard Edward laughing faintly next to me, obviously amused by my reaction. It made me wonder how many times he got this reaction out of girls. Ugh... how many other girls.

Why was I thinking like that? He didn't like me, of course he didn't. Not the way I liked him. I couldn't possibly be included in the same category as any other girl he's been with. I dropped my gaze from the marvelous house, if you could even call it a house, and stared at my hands in my lap.

"What's wrong?" he asked as he stopped the car in front of the enormous garage.

"Nothing," I said quietly, smiling half-heartedly.

He sighed and came around the front of the car to open my door. He gave me his hand and lifted me out of the car. Then, like he did this morning, he brought my hand to his lips and kissed it gently. It took all the strength I had to keep from stumbling when he started leading my toward the front door.

As soon as it opened, I heard Emmett's booming voice. "BELLA!"

Before I know it, my feet were off the ground and I was spinning around in circles in a bear hug, courtesy of Emmett. When she set me down, I was kind of dizzy, and Edward caught me by my waist when I started to fall backwards.

"Hi, Emmett," I said, concentrating on trying to refocus my vision.

Jasper walked up next to him. "Hi, Bella," he said politely. I smiled.

"Bella, I'd like you to meet my parents," Edward said, pulling me to the right and into the large kitchen, his hand still resting on my waist... but I wasn't complaining!

When we rounded the corner into the kitchen, I saw a slender woman with dark brown hair standing in front of the stove with an apron on. At a large glass coffee table, there was a man sitting reading the newspaper.

The whole thing looked like a picture from the 80s.

The smell wafting through the kitchen was wonderful. I glanced to the stove to see that they were cooking spaghetti.

"This is Carlisle and Esme," Edward introduced. They each looked up to see who it was.

"You must be Bella!" Esme said enthusiastically, walking over to me and giving me a tender hug. I returned it gladly.

Carlisle walked up to me smoothely and shook my hand. I had seen him before, during one of my little trips to the ER, and I recognized him immediately.

"It's nice to see you again, Dr. Cullen," I said politely.

"Carlisle, call me Carlisle," he said with a smile.

"So, Edward tells me that you are going to be Juliet in the play," Esme said.

I blushed. "Yes," I said softly. I peeked to my left to see Edward smiling brightly at me.

Once we got past the awkward introductions, we had nice easy conversations about the play and school and how dinner smelled delicious. Stuff like that. The Cullens looked like a really nice family. I liked them a lot.

After a few minutes, I peeked into the living room, which was separated from the kitchen by a half-wall, to see that Emmett and Jasper were playing video games on the 72 inch plasma screen TV.

"Bella, would you mind if we talked to Edward alone for a moment? Why don't you go talk to Emmett and Jasper for a few minutes?" Esme asked me softly.

"Oh, of course," I replied, and walked around the corner to join the two brothers in the living room. As I walked away, I heard Esme murmur, "They need to learn to step away from those video games for more than thirty seconds every once in a while." I laughed quietly.

When I got closer to the TV, I realized that they were playing some kind of boxing game. Emmett obviously noticed me come in.

"Oh, hey, Bella! You here to see me kick Jasper's butt?" As soon as the words left his mouth, Jaspers guy punched Emmett's in the chin, and 'K.O.' popped up on Emmett's side of the screen.

"Aw!" Emmett yelled.

"I would be disappointed if that's what I came for," I said as I sat in the middle of a large couch. Emmett gave me a dark look, and Jasper gave me a high five.

"I was distracted," Emmett reasoned.

"Oh, like you were the other twelve times?" Jasper and I both laughed. Then he turned to me.

"So, Bella, what brings you here other than to see _me _kick _his_ butt?" Jasper asked.

"Your parents wanted to talk to Edward alone." Emmett and Jasper shared a knowing look.

"What?" I asked.

Jasper came to sit next to me on the large couch and put his arm around my shoulder in a brotherly way. "Do you have a crush on our brother?"

"What the hell kind of a question is that?" I asked, a little defensively, trying to avoid giving an answer. Because Edward was right... I was a terrible liar.

"One that you should answer," Emmett cut in as he came to sit on my other side. He put his arm around my shoulder as well, so that I was now sandwiched between the two brothers.

I sighed. "Why does it matter?"

"Oh, it matters a lot," Jasper said with a smug smile. "Because you don't know what we know."

"And what would that be?" I asked quietly.

"That he likes you back!" Emmett said enthusiastically, obviously proud that he was the one who had the pleasure to tell me this news.

"Well, yes, he likes me," I said glumly. "But not as much as I like him."

"I beg to differ," Emmett said. "He won't stop thinking about you. He talks about you all the time."

"And he'll just zone out and we'll say, 'Stop thinking about Bella!'" Jasper said. "He used to deny it, but now he knows that there is absolutely no point acting like it isn't true."

"Really?" I asked, disbelief coloring my tone.

"Yep," they both said at the same time. Jasper continued. "He told us not to tell you, but we feel like its necessary."

"Why?"

Emmett laughed, as if the answer was obvious. "Because he wasn't going to do anything about it, and you sure as hell weren't going to do anything about it! Who are we to let such a beautiful thing as young love go to waste?" He lifted his chin and put his hand over his heart as he spoke.

"So, that being said, we think you should make the first move," Jasper said with finality. I looked at him like he was crazy.

"No way," I said, with my own tone of finality.

"You have to if you want this relationship to go anywhere! Like we said, Edward is definately not going to make the first move. He's too busy day dreaming to realize that you like him back!" Emmett said.

"So you have to take this into your own hands," Jasper finished.

I was at a loss for words. After a few seconds, I finally got my voice back. "Tell me again... why are you doing this?"

"Like I said, we feel obligated," Emmett said.

I glared at him. "And what if I tell you that its none of your business?"

They both sighed. "Bella, Bella, Bella," Jasper said. "Then we'll just have to find a way to make it our business."

My eyes widened. The last thing I wanted was Emmett and Jasper intervening with my relationship with Edward. I didn't like where this was going. "Deal."

"So what are you going to do?" Emmett asked with a triumphant smile.

"I-I... I'll figure it out." As soon as I finished the sentence, Edward came into the living room.

"What are you guys doing?" he asked suspiciously.

"Snuggling," Emmett and Jasper said together, tightening their hold on my shoulders. I laughed. "But don't worry, we aren't hitting on her or anything like that," Emmett amended with a mischievious smile. Jasper reached behind me and hit Emmett on the back of the head again. "OW! Stop doing that!" I guess that was a regular thing with him.

I gratefully got up from in between the two brothers and sighed with relief when Edward took my hand. Despite the fact that I agreed to Emmett and Jasper's little deal, I had a hard time believing that Edward had any feelings for me. But I would definately be watching more closely from now on.

He began to lead me to a large stair case and we began to walk up the huge flight of stairs. He showed me Emmett and Jaspers room, along with Carlisle's study, his bedroom, and even a library. I was kind of ashamed to admit that I had never been inside a house this big before. When we got to the third floor, he led me to the end of a very long hallway and opened the door to the left. "My room," he clarified as he ushered me inside.

I think my jaw dropped, but I couldn't be sure. Edward's room was exactly the opposite of what a typical teenage boy's room would look like. The paint on the walls was a smoothe cream color and one wall was entirely made out of glass, overlooking the forest and a lovely river. There was a black leather couch against the wall farthest from the door, and dominating the room was a massive, round, golden bed. Against one wall was an enormous collection of CDs, organized on shelves. The sight of the room took my breathe away.

"You like music?" I asked. It was a stupid question, of course. Duh.

"Good music," he replied as he walked over to a large stereo system and turned on a smoothe jazzy number. The sound quality was so good, it sounded like the band was in the room with us.

"What kind do you usually listen to?

"Mostly classical. Debussy is one of my favorites."

I looked at him with disbelief. "I love Debussy." And I thought that I was the only one.

We sat on the black couch and talked for what seemed like hours. I was still astounded by how easily I could have a conversation with him. I felt like I could tell him anything, trust him with anything. I would sit in his presence forever if I had the choice.

"So what were Jasper and Emmett talking to you about?" he asked with a suspicious voice.

Why did he have to ask? "Nothing. You know, just school and stuff." I prayed to God that he would drop it. I was a sucky liar, but there was no way I could tell him what our little conversation was about. I should have told Emmett and Jasper that I couldn't lie convincingly. They were fixing to get busted.

"Are you sure about that?" he said with a teasing smile, but curiosity was still evident in his velvet voice.

I got up from the couch and walked over to the gigantic shelf of CDs. I had my back to him, hiding my face, which was probably beet red at this point.

I could feel him beside me. I had my hand traveling over the covers of the CDs, looking at the names. Edward sure did have a great taste in music.

"Why are you blushing?" he inquired softly. He brought his hand to my face and held my chin toward him, so he could see my eyes. I couldn't do anything but stare right back into his green ones. They were utterly hypnotizing. Like liquid.

All of the sudden, I heard a clattering noise, and looked to my left to see that my hand, which was still resting on the shelf, had knock over a few of the CDs. I inwardly cursed my clumsiness. "I'm sorry." I tried scramle to pick them back up, but he took my hand and held it still in his. I looked back up at him.

He was closer than he was, only inches from my face now. And I could see deeper into his eyes than I could ever see before. And all I saw in them... was passion.

The door swung open at that very moment and banged against the wall behind it. I knew who it was before he spoke.

"Dinner's ready!" Emmett yelled.

I spun around on my heel and glared at him. "Get out of here, Emmett!" Edward shouted, obviously as annoyed as I was.

He smiled widely and winked at me. I rolled my eyes at him. Way to go, Emmett.

Dinner was very nice. We all talked and chatted about school and the hospital that Carlisle worked at, and a little bit about the play. When the conversation was directed toward me, I told them all about my move from Pheonix and my aspirations to become an actress. It was all very pleasant and the Cullen's made me feel at home.

Edward and I shared glances the entire time. We both knew what almost took place in his room. We had almost kissed. I had my doubts before, but it was clear to me now that he wanted to kiss me too. I silently vowed to myself that I would make it happen soon, preferably tonight. I was actually going to make the first move, like Emmett and Jasper had advised.

**Don't kill me for the cliffy, because then I wouldn't be able to continue the story! PLEASE let me know what you think! Review!! I'm begging you!! The next chapter will be out tomorrow!**

**Oh, and MaxineAlix, I will get back to you soon, I promise!**


	5. Chapter 5: The First Move

**Hey everybody! I'm back! At first, I was going to put this chapter and the previous chapter together to make one big ginormous chapter, cause I feel bad for not updating in a while... but I couldn't because my parents limited the time that I'm aloud to be on the computer and I didn't have time to put it all up, so I just split it up. I really hope you like it!**

**Chapter 5:**

**The First Move**

There were butterflies in my stomach because of what I was about to do. I was about to kiss Edward Cullen. Edward, the most gorgeous perfect gentleman ever! And on top of that, he apparently liked me back.

Was I nervous? Hell yes.

What if I made a fool out of myself? Would I just pull him to me, or wait until he was close enough himself and then lean in the rest of the way. I liked the second one better. Oh my God! I was about to kiss Edward Cullen!

He was driving me home, but I was too preoccupied to notice where we were. It wasn't until the engine cut off that I realized we were in front of Charlie's house. The lights were on. He was awake. And if I was going to go through with this, it couldn't be here. I didn't want Charlie spying on us.

"Do you want to go on a walk?" I asked him, turning to face him abruptly in the passenger seat.

He smiled. "I'd love to." He got out and opened my door for me, helping me out of the car. He didn't let go of my hand. We walked toward the edge of the forest near the house, slowly, aimlessly. I wanted to make this walk last as long as possible.

The sun was just setting, giving the landscape a beautiful orange glow. When we finally got to the edge of the forest, we walked along the side until we found a small trail, and decided to follow it. The farther away from Charlie, the better.

The light was very dim inside the forest but I could still make out the features on his beautiful face.

"So, did you have fun?" he asked me, finally breaking the peaceful silence.

"Yes, I did," I replied. "I really like your family. I think it would be nice to have a big one like that. Here, its just me and Charlie."

"Are you two close?"

"As close as we can be. Charlie doesn't really have a way with words. It's mostly silence between us, but that's enough."

We stopped walking and sat down next to each other on a fallen tree. Our close proximity didn't escape my notice, and my heart thumped wildly in my chest.

"Bella," Edward said softly.

"Yes?"

"Can I ask you something?"

"Of course." I looked at him curiously.

"The first day in the cafeteria, when you sat at our table," he began. "When you were telling us about your date with Mike Newton."

I looked down at my lap to hide my face.

"What did he do to you?"

"I already told you." I tried to avoid it.

"I could tell you were editing," he pressed.

I sighed. "You don't want to know." I didn't want to have to tell him this. I wanted our conversation to be easy, and most importantly romantic. This topic was not romantic.

"I'd like to know, if its not too much to ask." He squeezed my hand in reassurance. I looked up at him, and even in the dim light, I could see his green eyes. They were so comforting. What was I worried about? I could tell him anything.

"Well, you already know we went to his favorite bar," I started, wondering how I would explain the rest. "I wanted to go home as soon as I figured out where we were going, but he already had me in the car. I told him to take me home, but he wouldn't. So I decided that I would walk home. It was a really far walk, though, a few miles. So when he offered to take me himself, I let him. It was the first thing he had done for me the entire time I had known him." I laughed quietly with no humor. "But he didn't take me home. He went the other way, and I kept telling him to turn around, but he refused. We ended up at a motel."

Edward's hand squeezed mine comfortingly. By this time, tears were rolling silently down my cheeks. I skipped ahead and continued. "That was when I walked home."

I wiped my eyes, embarassed. "The reason why it upsets me so much was because it was my first date. I always wanted my first date to be perfect."

Edward finally spoke up, although he was quiet. "Did he kiss you?"

"No," I said simply, glad at least for that fact.

He straitened up, and sighed. "Well," he turned toward me, his emerald eyes burning with intensity. "I'll make sure your first kiss is perfect."

Before I could register what he just said, he leaned in and pressed his flawless lips against mine. He let go of my hand and put his on my waist, while his other hand came up to rest on the side of my neck. I responded immediately, wrapping my arms around him neck and pressing my body into his.

My entire body was tingling, I had never felt this way before. All my thoughts melted away, except for the fact that I was kissing this wonderful boy.

All too soon, he pulled away, and we both had huge dopey grins plastered on our faces. He lifted his hand to wipe the remaining tears from my face.

"Feel better?" he said, obviously pleased with himself.

"No," I said, hitting him playfully in the chest. "You beat me."

"Beat you?" he repeated, confused, but still smiling. I was still grinning too.

"I promised myself that I would make the first move," I giggled.

"That's exactly what I did. But I don't really care, I'm excited that I just kissed you." He was smiling ear-to-ear.

I stood up, pulling him with me, and kissed him again. He seemed surprised, but responded eagerly just the same. We stood there kissing for an immeasurable amount of time. I finally pulled away. "Now, I feel better," I teased. He laughed, lighting up his already bright face even more.

"Are you busy tomorrow?" he asked suddenly.

Saturday. "Yes, I'm free." Anything to be with him again.

"I want to take you somewhere. A place that's very special to me. I'm pretty sure that I'm the only one who knows about it." He was excited about this, I could tell.

"I'd love to come," I said eagerly. "Where is it?"

"It's a surprise."

Ugh, I hated surprises.

* * *

After Edward drove away, I walked into the living room quietly, on the off chance that Charlie was asleep. He wasn't.

"Hey, Dad!" I said, uncharacteristically chipper. I hoped that would go unnoticed.

He looked suspicious. "Hey, Bells. Did you have fun?"

"Yes," I answered simply. Then I noticed something on the table next to the recliner that Charlie was sitting in. It was my turn to be suspicious. "What are the binoculars for?"

"Oh, um," he scrambled to put them back in the drawer. "I- I was birdwatching earlier today." Yeah right.

"Sure... what kind of birds did you see?"

"I um, ehem, there were, uh, robins, and umm... mockingbirds." Sure, sure.

"Wow, Dad, that's great." I smiled and decided to drop it. "I'm pretty tired, I'm going to bed," I said, bounding up the stairs to my room. I bet my 'tired' excuse was pretty convincing combined with me running up the stairs, too. But I didn't care. I felt lighter, I felt like I could fly. I had kissed him and he kissed me back... I couldn't wait until tomorrow!

**Sorry if this chapter sucks, it probably does. Go easy on me please. And if you actually like it, don't be afraid to tell me! Review, please!!**

**O, and I know that this one is shorter, but like I said, it was initially supposed to be part of the previous chapter. Please let me know what you think!**


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